Despite Loss In WTC Final, Australia Walk Away With Rs 18.63 Crore. South Africa Get...
South Africa ended a 27-year ICC trophy drought on Saturday, clinching the World Test Championship (WTC) title after beating Australia by five wickets in the final at Lord's. Chasing 282 for the win, the Proteas rode on Aiden Markram 's century and a fifty by captain Temba Bavuma to get the job done. South Africa needed 69 runs to win when play resumed on Day 4. Despite Bavuma falling early, Markram shouldered the responsibility to take the Proteas deep before Kyle Verreynne hit the winning run.
This was South Africa's first ICC trophy since the ICC KnockOut Trophy in 1998 (now known as the ICC Champions Trophy).
Apart from the Test mace, South Africa also walked away with a prize money of $3.6 million (approx. Rs 31.05 crore). Despite the loss, Australia also took home $2.16 million (approx. Rs 18.63 crore) as runners-up. India, who finished third in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, also received Rs 12.42 crore.
Resuming from 213/2, South Africa were dealt an early blow when Temba Bavuma nicked off a back-of-the-length delivery behind to the keeper off Cummins and fell for 55 off 134 balls. With Nathan Lyon getting some turn, it meant that South Africa had to go through the nervy path in their quest to win the championship, with Australia keeping the pressure up and not giving any runs freely.
Markram, though, settled the nerves by crunching Cummins for four, before pulling him firmly through mid-wicket for another boundary. But Australia made another big strike when Mitchell Starc castled a jittery Tristan Stubbs through the gate and took out the leg-stump bail.
Once Australia wasted their third review of the innings, a clear sign of desperation, the writing was on the wall. Markram and David Bedingham were a picture of calmness while rotating the strike easily, as South Africa inched closer to the target.
The deficit came under 20 when Bedingham played a silky on-drive off Cummins, bringing the crowd of Proteas supporters to life. That hit a crescendo when Markram whipped Josh Hazlewood through mid-wicket for four, before taking three runs in the same fashion on the very next ball.
Though Markram couldn't finish the chase as he flicked to mid-wicket and fell for 136 off Hazlewood, Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs by carving Starc through cover-point to begin joyful, emotional celebrations in the dressing room, loyal supporters, family members, and former players in the Home of Cricket, as well as back home in South Africa.
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Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Temba Bavuma's one-legged bravado ends Proteas curse; braveheart captain secures his place in the South African pantheon
As the clock ticked over to 12.45 pm British Summer Time and Kyle Verreynne slammed a full toss from Mitchell Starc for a piddly single, a nation erupted. Long years of frustration and heartbreak had finally come to an end; after 27 years, South Africa finally had their moment in the sun, their stunning five-wicket triumph over Australia in the final of the World Test Championship erasing the bitter memories of campaigns gone awry, of mishaps of the past, many of which were of their own making. South Africa's entry into the final of the WTC was met with derisive dismissal; during the two-year cycle, they didn't face Australia or England, and only managed a 1-1 draw at home against India, who thrashes them inside two days on a diabolical Newlands surface in Cape Town. There was a feeling that they had 'played' the system, banking on a succession of two-Test series to wend their way into the title round. It didn't seem to matter that, coming into the final, they had won seven Tests on the trot, or that they had a fantastic all-round team helmed by that wonderful leader of men who is the most shining example of mind over matter. Temba Bavuma often flies under the radar, perhaps because he is the victim of misperception, but that has hardly impacted the 35-year-old, who masterminded a sensational campaign by setting himself up as the ultimate example of leading from the front. In the third cycle of the WTC, South Africa's admirable skipper scored 711 runs in eight matches at an average of 53.13, inclusive of two centuries. In the Lord's final, he backed up a two-and-a-half-hour 36 in the first innings with perhaps his most impactful and satisfying innings, 66 in three and a quarter hours on one leg after sustaining a hamstring injury very early in the piece. No one would have blamed Bavuma had he retired hurt, given how severely he was hampered by the injury, when he was only six. Every run thereafter was an event, a burden, a body blow; every moment spent in the middle was painful beyond imagination, though apart from the occasional involuntary grimace, he gave little away. Bavuma battled through the pain barrier, linking up with the exceptional Aiden Markram in a third-wicket alliance of 147 that enabled the Proteas to mount the joint second-highest successful run-chase at Lord's. Bavuma was seen initially as a beneficiary of the affirmative action policy that intended to undo the wrongs of the past, but today, the cricketing world is short of words when it comes to eulogising the South African captain. Markram was understandably the star of the show with his terrific fourth-innings 136, while Kagiso Rabada, coming off a cocaine-induced ban, was the bowling hero with match figures of nine for 110. But Bavuma's special 66 hardly paled in comparison; batting on one leg and hobbling between the wickets for all but a quarter of an hour of his presence at the crease, he showcased spunk, spirit, hunger, desire, ambition and desperation, making light of physical discomfort to orchestrate undeniably the greatest moment in South African cricketing history. The Proteas had won the inaugural Champions Trophy (then the ICC KnockOut Trophy) in Bangladesh in 1998 under Hansie Cronje, but that has almost been forgotten. What was remembered until Saturday afternoon was the string of exits in the knockout stages of ICC competitions across formats – two losses in the quarterfinals, a whopping 12 in the semifinals and one in the final, of the T20 World Cup against India in Bridgetown a little under a year back when 30 off 30 with six wickets in hand proved several bridges too far. Bavuma's identity no longer revolves around being the first black African batter to be picked in South Africa's Test squad. He has taken his team to heights that several of his illustrious predecessors couldn't. The reactions of Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, all present at Lord's in various capacities, showed just how much Saturday's victory meant to them and, by extension, to their country. That Bavuma was the mastermind behind this epochal triumph added a special, special lustre.
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Fans react as Temba Bavuma hands over WTC Test mace to son in heartwarming move
South Africa, led by Temba Bavuma, broke their 27-year jinx of not winning an ICC Trophy. The Proteas defeated Australia by five wickets to win the WTC Final, and the victory will go down in history as the one who finally broke that dreaded ICC curse. The Proteas also did in in style, winning eight Tests in a row to win the title. After the win, the spotlight was on Bavuma, who also shrugged off a hamstring injury during the second innings and stitched together a match-winning partnership. Bavuma was also joined by his son on the field during the victory celebrations. Then, Bavuma also gave the Test mace to his son in a heartwarming gesture, and the pair also celebrated together. Speaking after the match, Bavuma said, 'It has been a special couple of days, at some point, felt like we were back in South Africa with all the support in the stands. We have prepared hard for this, we have worked hard for this moment. We came here with a lot of belief but also with a lot of doubters and we are happy that we were able to play well enough to get that type of result. Special moment for us as a team, special moment for the people back home, probably will really sink in a couple of days but it's been special. The energy was there, we have been wanting this as a team, we have been kind of knocking at the door, being relentless, getting ourselves into positions where we can be in finals.' 'We have gone through the heartache, we have gone through the disappointment, seen it with the past players who have come before us and the sun is on us at the moment. That responsibility we have been carrying it and hopefully this is one of many. KG is a massive player, couple of days ago, I went to the ICC Hall of Fame in Leeds, I think in a couple of years KG will be one of those guys. He came into the game with controversy behind him. He was motivated to do what he needed to do and like a champion he came and did what he did. (Markram) Unbelievable, couple of people were asking why Aiden was in the team. Stats, yes are important but character is something we look at and a guy like Aiden, he carries all those traits. We knew second innings, we are gonna have to come out and play and he led it in like true Aiden fashion. Another massive player for us. 'Character has been a big thing for us as a team and those two guys are the ones who carry that. Us a team we got ourselves into the final, there were doubters as to the route that we took, supposedly playing weaker teams. We are happy we are able to perfom like this and hopefully that kind of squashes that. For us as a country, here's an opportunity for us, as divided as we are at times to forget all of that, to rejoice in this moment and just be one. I'm sure the people back home will be celebrating it with us and you can trust that we will be celebrating it massively as well,' he added.
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Temba Bavuma turns WTC mace into 'bazooka' as ice-cold celebration sends internet wild: 'Shots to all the doubters'
South Africa had the form. South Africa had the players. Yet few gave them a chance when they arrived in London a week ago. History loomed large over pre-match predictions, and that's where South Africa fell short in the eyes of many. For 27 years, they chased another ICC trophy — and came close far too often — only to stumble at crunch moments. That's why they were branded 'chokers' and trolled relentlessly. But on Saturday, Temba Bavuma ended that narrative — and his celebration couldn't have been more fitting. In a clip that went viral on social media, Bavuma, standing on the podium along with his teammates, is seen holding the WTC mace like a "bazooka" and firing shots all around. The ice-cold celebration from the South African captain sent the internet wild, with one of the users saying: 'He fired shots at all the doubters.' The win in London made Bavuma the most successful captain in Test cricket after 10 matches. With nine wins and one draw, no other skipper has enjoyed a better start in the format. He was appointed for the role in the 2022/23 home Test series against the West Indies, where he led the hosts to a 2-0 clean sweep. He continued his winning streak with a victory over India in the opening Test of the 2023/24 series in Cape Town, though an injury sidelined him for the following match. He returned to the format in Port of Spain, where South Africa dominated but were denied a win due to rain interruptions. This was followed by a stunning run as the Proteas secured seven straight wins, with the crowning moment coming at Lord's, where they beat Australia by five wickets to clinch the mace. Bavuma, hence, became the second captain, after Percy Chapman in the 1920s, to win nine of their first ten Tests, and the second captain after Warwick Armstrong, also in the 1920s, to go unbeaten in his first ten Tests.
